Rotary machine for closing the seams of sheet-metal cans



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E. JORDAN. Rotary Machine for Closing the Seams of -Sheet Metal Cans.l y N0- 236,499 I v Patented-Jan. 11,1881.

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NA PETERS. PHOTUUTHDGRPHER, WASHINGTON D C (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. J O R D A N.

Rotary Machine' for Closing the Seam's of Sheet Metal Gans. No'. 236,499. I/ t Patvnt-edlan. 11,1881'.

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1:. JORDAN; y Rotary Machine for Closing the Seams of She'et Metal Cans.

Patented1an. 11,1881.

MPEIERS. PHOTO-LATHOGRAPMER. WASHINGTON, D C.

(No Model.) A 4 sheets-sheen 4.

E. J 0 R D A N.

Rotary Machine for Closing the Seems of Sheet Metal Gans.

No. 236,499. Patented Jan. 11.1881.v

A up against thc seams, the cans remaining NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDMUND JORDAN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE H. PERKINS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROTARY MACHlNE FOR CLOSING THE SEAMS OF SHEET-METAL CANS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 236,499, dated January 11, 1881.

Application filed November 4, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, EDMUND JORDAN, oi Brooklyn, in the State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Rotary Machines 5 for Closing the Scams of Sheet-Metal Cans, of

which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates in general to the class of mechanisms employed to secure the heads upon the bodies of sheet-metal cans, and reio lates more specifically to that subdivision of such class which employs rollers caused to bear against the seams to be closed while the can is rotated against the rollers, as opposed to that class in which sliding jaws are brought My invention consists, broadly, in a rotary apparatus for seaming the heads upon rectangular, square, hexagonal, or other cans havzo ing approximately angular corners, and neither circular nor oval in cross-section.

It consists, further, in mechanism whereby seaming-rolls are caused to travel in continuous and close contact with the head-seams, of

whatever exterior contour the. same may be,

so that in the seeming, for instance, ofrectangul-ar cans, the rolls will not only travel around the right-angular corners in Contact with the same, but will remain in contact with the 3o straight sides throughout the entire revolution of the can as the latter is revolved against the rolls so operated, and it also consists in an apparatus wherein the foregoing mechanism is conveniently embodied.

3 5 In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of a machine conveniently embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a side clevation of the same, showing the position of treadles when a can is in place; Fig. 3, a top 4o sectional plan of the machine on the line a a of Fig. l; Fig. 4, a central sectional plan detail of the roller rock-shaft arm and the mechanism for tightening the rolls up against the seams 5 Fig. 5, a side detail of the base of the machine and its contained treadles, showing the position of the parts when the machine is in condition to receive a can; Fig. 6, a view, in perspective, of the starting and stopping treadles; Fig. 7, a perspective detail of the 5o clutch-operating crank; Fig. 8, a view of the seam to be closed, and Fig. 9 a view of the seam closed.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspending parts in all of the figures.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the base ofthe machine, being a leg frame-work of any suitable construction, supporting a base-plate, B, from which are erected three or more pillars, C, braced together by bearing-platesD, so as to constitute in con- 6o nection therewith the framework of the machine.

E is a driving-shaft journaled horizontally in the head of the frame-work and provided with a driving-pulley, F, from which motion is imparted to it. The drivin g-pnlley is controlled by a clutch, G, of any suitable construction, the operation of which is to make the pulley fast or loose upon the shaft.

H is a bevel-gear, whereby motion is trans- 7o mitted from the shaft E to a vertical cam-shaft,

I, extending from the upper bearing-plate, D,

to the base-plate B, and suitably journaled in the same. This shaft is provided at its upper portion with a pinion, J, Fig. 2, and at its lower portion with a pinion, J of double the width of the pinion J. It is also provided with a cam, K, Figs. l andv 3, whereof hereinafter.

L Ll are vertical head-plate shafts journaled 8o in the frame-work, to the lower and upper extremities, respectively, of which are secured the head plates or disks M M of the machine, which face each other and clamp between them the can to be closed. Motion of rotation is imparted to these head-plate shafts by two spur-wheels, N N', keyed thereto, which mesh with and take their motion from the pinions J J on the cam-shaft.

Irrespective of other parts, it is obvious that 9o motion communicated to the pulley F, when it is made tight to the driving-shaft E by its clutch, is communicated through the bevel-gear to the cam-shaft, so as to continuously rotate the same, and thence through the pinions upon the cam-shaft to the spur-wheels upon the headplate shafts, with the result that the head-I plates, which are set correspondently, are rotated together in the same direction and at the same rate of speed. When, therefore, a roo can is embraced and held tight between these plates the can is rotated by them.

O is a rock-shaft conveniently placed correspondingly to the cam-shaft upon the opposite side of the machine. 1t is so journaled in the bearing-plates D as to be susceptible of a rocking or oscillating motion.

P is a rock-shaft arm, well shown in Fig. 3, rigidly although adj ustably connected with the rock-shaft,- and adapted, through the medium of a friction-roll, Q, on its outer` extremity, bearing against the cam K, to impart to the rock-shaft O a rocking or vibratory motion taken from the cam.

R is a coil-spring connected to some fixed portion of the frame-work and operating to keep the roller of the rockshaft arm l? in contact with the cam K. S S' are roller rock-shaft arms, rigidly although adjustably connected to the rock-shaft O, and so set as to have the seaming-rolls, with which their outer extremities are provided, almost but not quite in contact with the seams of the can.

T T' are the seaming-rolls (shown in Figs. 4, Ll, and 2) secured upon opposite ends of a vertical roIl-shaft, W, journaled in projecting arms V V', which are adjustably secured, by

4shaft arms S S'.

means of the adjusting-screws X X', to the hinged brackets U U', pivoted to the roller rock- These rollers turn freely together with or upon their shaft WV, and are so conformed as to be adapted to close the seams designed to be acted upon. For seams such as are shown in Figs. S and 9 they are wellshaped, as in the drawings. For other shapes of seam they are correspondingly modified in form.

Yis an inclosed spiral spring operating, when not otherwise controlled, to'keep the hinged bracket U U' away from the roller rock-shaft arms S S', to which the former are pivoted, and thereby to keep the rolls at a slight distance away from the seams of the c an. A revolution of the cam K, acting through the arm P upon the rock-shaft O, oscillates the arms S S', the outline of the cam being such that the rolls T T' are always retained in contact with the seam of the can throughout the revolution of the latter.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings is shown a cam, K, of such outline as to cause the rolls T T' to close the seams of a rectangular cam, Z, such as that represented in place in the machine. This cam makes four revolutions to one of the can. It is, however, obvious that by shaping the cam to correspond in its operation upon the rocking parts to the exterior outline of the can which it is desired to seam the machine'can be adapted to the seaming of hextgonal or other cans not being round or ova a is a lever-handle secured to an eccentric shaft,l b, journ aled in the roller rock-shaft arms S S', as well shown in Fig. 4. This shaft is notched or flattened, as at c, at both of its extremities and at the portions where it bears against the hinged brackets U U', so that when it is placed in the position shown in Fig. 4 it holds said brackets and their rollers more closely up against the rock-shaft arms S S' than when the lever a is drawn forward, so as to cause the notched surfaces c to coincide with the rear face of the brackets U U',in which latter position the inclosed springY throws the brackets U U' and the rollers T T away Vfrom the rock-shaft arms S S', and in consequence slightly away from the seams of the can. This whole device, therefore, is one for tightening or loosening kthe seaming-rolls with respect to the seams of thc can, so as to enable the putting of the can into the machine and its removal therefrom without interference from the rolls. When, however, the can is in the machine the handle a is deflected into the position shown in Fig. 4, and the rolls T T' brought up tight against its seams, and it is in this latter position that the parts remain while the machine is in action for the closing of the heads.

The lower head-plate shaft, L', is arranged to slide in its bearings up and down, so as to raise and lower the lower head-plate, M', and permit of the introduction and removal of the can. In order to accomplish this action and yet insure the rotation of the head without its ungearing, the pinion J' on the cam-shaftis made of double the width of the spur-wheel N' of the shaft L', so that, whatever be the position of the head-plate M', the leaves of the spur-wheel N' will still be engaged with those of' the pinion J'. The lower extremity of the head-plate shaft L' rests upon avertical slide, e, contained in a suitable bearing, f, depending from the base-plate of the machine.

The slide e is adjustable in length, by means of the screw-bolt f to accommodate the disks to cans of varying height, and rests in turn upon the forward extremity of the balancelever g, pivoted to backwardly-extendin g ears of the bearing f in the manner shown. This lever g is balanced by its weight h, so as to overcome the jar occasioned by the descent of the lower head-plate, M', upon the removal of the can, the weight of the head-plate and its shaft being sufficient to overcome the balance-weight of the lever and raise said weight into the position shown in Fig. 5.

z' is a treadle-shaft, suitablyjournaled in the bearing f and the hanger j. To this shaft is keyed the starting-treadle d, a toe, k, of which registers in line beneath the forward extremity of the balance-lever g. When the startingtreadle d is depressed this toe forces up the forward extremity of the weight-lever, elevates the slidee, and with it the shaft L and its head-plateM', the position of parts then becoming that shown in Fig. 2. The can is set in place upon the head M' before the depression of the treadle d. As the treadle dis depressed it not only raises the lower head-4 plate and clamps the can between the heads IIS in the manner described, but it also rotates the treadle-shaft z', in so doing raises acrank, l, secured'thereto and connected, by means of a link, on, with the forward portion of the stopping treadle n, pivoted in a hanger, 0 0, elevates the forward portion of said stoppingtreadle n, and causes a fork, p, backwardly extendin g therefrom, to draw down the clutchoperating rod q, which is adjustably connected thereto by collars rr', as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. The drawing down of the rod q draws down the horizontal arm of the clutch-operating crank s, pivoted in the upper frame work, throws its vertical forked arm to the right, Fig. l, and thereby throws the clutch into gear with the pulley F, whereby said pulley is made fast to the shaft and motion communicated to the machine. 1t is obvious, therefore, that by the action of the starting-treadle a can is not only secured in place between its head-plates, but the machine is started so that the can is rotated against the seaming-rolls.

l/Vhen it is desired to stop the seaming action after the can has been sufficiently rotated the stoppin g-treadle is depressed, whereby the clutch-operatin g rodqis elevated and the clutch thrown out of gear, so as to stop the revolution of the pulley; whereby, also, the link m is drawn down and the treadle-shaftithereby rotated, so as to deflect away the toe k of the starting-treadle from beneath the balanced 1ever, so as to remove the support from beneath the shaft of the lower head-plate and permit the descent of the same for the removal of the can.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure b v Letters Patent of the United Statesl. In a machine for closing the seams which secure theheads to the bodies of rectangular, square, hexagonal, or other sheet-metal cans not circular or oval, the following instrumentalities in combination: iirst, a pair of head plates or disks conformed to the shape of the heads of the can to be closed and adapted by suitable means together to retain and rotate the can; second, seamingrolls; third, mechanism whereby the seaming-rolls are retained against the seams of the heads and in close conjunction therewith throughout the entire 5o length of the seams, of whatever outline the seams may be.

2. In a machine for closing the head-seams of rectangular, square, hexagonal, or other shaped cans not being circular or oval, the combination of a pair of head plates conformed to the outlines of the heads of the cans and adapted to retain and rotate the same, seaming-rolls secured to a rock-shaft in such manner as to be capable of receiving 6o therefrom a movement which will enable their traveling in contact with all portions of the seams of the can, a cam acting upon the rockshaft of the seaming-rolls of such outline as to impart the requisite movement to the rolls, and mechanism whereby the head-plates and cam are revolved to secure the revolution of the can and the proper movement of the seamingrolls.

3. In a machine for closing the seams of 7o sheet-metal cans, the combination, to secure the setting up of the seaming-rolls against the seams of the can, of the brackets U U', hinged to the rock-shaft arms S S and controlled by an eccentric shaft, b, and the spring Y.

4. The combination, to form a device whereby the lower head-plate of a can-seaming machine can be alternately lifted and dropped, of the starting-treadle d, pivoted upon the treadle-shaft i, the balanced lever g, and the 8o stopping-tread le n, connected with the treadleshaft i and its starting-treadle by the link m and crank l, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof [have hereunto signed 85 my name this 18th day of October, A. D. 1880.

EDMUND JORDAN.

I n presence of- J. BoNsALL TAYLOR, ELIPHALET W. BLIss. 

